Reno's True Love
by Reno's-Kaira
Summary: Takes place around Advent Children.... Kaira shows up in Midgar with no memories of where she came from.... Will she ever find her savior or will she end up dying on the streets of Midgar..... KairaReno paring
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Final Fantasy characters. They are the property of Square Soft and Square Enix. I do however own Kaira, any other character I create, and the storyline. Please don't steal this because I have worked very hard on it.**_**~~…~~ denotes flashbacks, dreams, nightmares**_**; **_**'. . .' denotes thoughts**_**; **. . . ** denotes scene changes; * denotes notes at the bottom**

Author notes:

**Chapter 1**

**six months after the end of the game**

Kaira had been walking the streets of Midgar for about three weeks. She had no memory of how she got there. The only thing that Kaira could remember was her name.

"I wonder where I am," Kaira whispered to herself as she continued walking.

Kaira stopped and took in her surroundings. Her mismatched eyes roamed over the many streets and buildings. Her blue and lavender eyes saw many kids roaming the streets with some sort of disease.

She shook out her golden mane in order to get her bangs out of her eyes. She felt the sweat start to bead up on her forehead. Kaira knew that she had a rally bad fever but she needed to keep moving.

Kaira coughed as she continued walking down the street. She stopped when she reached a dark and dreary alley. She walked into the alley so she could get off the streets and away from everyone else. She just wanted to curl up and die somewhere in order to escape the pain that she was feeling at the moment. She soon found the darkest corner and sat down as she started coughing really bad.

"Boy, do I feel terrible," she said as she closed her eyes.

Once her azure and lavender eyes were closed, Kaira leaned back against the cool wall and sighed. She really wished that she could remember how she got to Midgar.

Kaira doubled over once more as another coughing fit hit her sickly body. She was able to tell that her sickness was getting worse. She was sure to die on the streets that night.

She could feel sleep wanting to overtake her tired body. She was about to welcome the darkness of sleep when she felt a rough hand grab her shoulder.

Kaira opened her eyes and quickly looked up the arm to see who it belonged to. Her eyes grew big when she saw a pair of deep green eyes staring back down at her.

"Who are you?" Kaira asked as her fear started to overtake her body.

The man just looked down at his frightened prey. He could smell the fear pouring off of his victim. He smiled down at Kaira as he moved his face closer to hers.

As her attacker moved closer to her, Kaira noticed that he was drunk just by the smell of it. The smell of the alcohol pouring off of him was starting to make her stomach turn. Kaira tried mercilessly to get away. She pushed on her assailant's chest but to no avail.

"Wouldn't you like to know, my pretty," he said drunkenly.

The drunken man just smiled down at Kaira. He had a look of hunger and desire dancing in his emerald eyes. He then started to drool over the sixteen-and-a-half year old beneath him.

Kaira began to tremble when she felt the drunk pull her towards him. She then felt her body being slammed against the ground.

Kaira felt her head bounce off the concrete road of the alley a couple of times. She then started to feel the man, on top of her, start to take her clothes off. This caused Kaira to start panicking even more.

"Please don't do this," Kaira begged as she futilely fought off his hands.

Her attacker just laughed at her feeble attempts to push him away from her. He was about to hit her with his fist when he was stopped by someone.

Kaira's vision started swimming in and out as she tried to concentrate on what was going on around her. She was having a hard time keeping a grasp on reality. She felt the man being pulled off of her. Kaira then looked up and saw a pair of bright blue eyes staring back down at her just as she blacked out.

"Reno," she whispered as she lost the battle with consciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Final Fantasy characters. They are the property of Square Soft and Square Enix. I do however own Kaira, any other character I create, and the storyline. Please don't steal this because I have worked very hard on it.**_**~~…~~ denotes flashbacks, dreams, nightmares**_**; **_**'. . .' denotes thoughts**_**; **. . . ** denotes scene changes; * denotes notes at the bottom**

Author notes:

**Chapter 2**

**a year and half later**

Kaira sat straight up in bed, sweating. She hated it when she remembered what had almost happened to her on the streets of Midgar that night.

"I hate that dream," Kaira whispered to herself.

Over the last year and a half, Kaira had learned that she has always lived in Midgar. She also learned that her parents had died when she was younger or so she thought.

She has always been thankful to Cloud when he had rescued her from almost being raped. She had stayed with him and Tifa for a couple of weeks before she was taken to Healin so she could get better quicker.

Now that she's been at Healin for over a year, Cloud would come and visit every now and then. But here lately, he hasn't been coming by. Kaira has even tried calling Cloud's phone but all she gets is his voice mail.

Well, Kaira decided to get out of bed and get dressed. She had pulled on a blood red tank top and a pair of jet black jeans that fit her slim build perfectly. She then pulled on her white socks and black combat boots. Once she was completely dressed, she walked over to the vanity and started to brush her hair and pull it up into a high ponytail.

When Kaira was happy with the way she looked, she then walked out of her room. She walked down the hallway until she came to a room that had someone in a wheelchair in it. _'I wonder who that could be,' _Kaira thought to herself. She walked into the room without making a sound. She never did see the bald man standing behind the open door.

"What are you doing here?" the bald man asked her.

Kaira nearly jumped through the ceiling when she heard the rough voice come from behind her. She turned around slowly and saw a tall man standing there, glaring back at her through a pair of sunglasses.

"Her name is Kaira Ann Shinra," the man in the wheelchair said.

Both Kaira and the tall man looked at the wheelchair. Kaira couldn't believe her ears. She needed to know how this person knew who she was.

"Excuse me but how do you know my name?" Kaira asked a little hesitantly.

The wheelchair slowly turned around so it was facing Kaira and the other person in the room. Kaira couldn't see the person's face because it was hidden for the most part.

"It doesn't matter how I know your name. But if you insist on knowing. The reason I know your name is because I was the one who named you when you were born," the man said.

Kaira went to step back but ended up running into a hard chest. She was completely at a loss for words. She was having a hard time comprehending what she was just told.

"But that would mean that you're my. . ." Kaira started but couldn't finish.

"Your father," the man said. "Rude, please leave us."

Rude looked at the man in the wheelchair before turning towards the door. He eyed Kaira as he walked out the door while shutting it behind him.

Kaira watched as Rude left her alone with the man in the wheelchair. She was starting to feel extremely nervous. She slowly approached the wheelchair. As she came around so she was facing the man, Kaira noticed that he had the same disease as Denzel did. She had found out that it was called geostigma.

"What proof do you have that I am your daughter?" Kaira asked. "And what is your name?"

"My name is Rufus Shinra. And the proof that you're my daughter is that you are wearing a bracelet that not only has your name on it but it also has your mother's name on it," Rufus said calmly.

Kaira dropped to her knees. No one knew of the bracelet except for her. She always kept it hidden from everyone else. Kaira's right hand unconsciously went to her left wrist and rubbed the bracelet. Kaira then felt tears start to slide down her face. She was happy but yet she was angry.

Rufus looked at Kaira as best as he could. He could see the different emotions play across her pale face. It had been so long since he had seen his daughter. He felt a smile pull at his lips as he remembered the last time he had seen Kaira and her mother.

_~~Begin Flashback~~__  
__  
Kaira just looked up at her father with her blue and lavender eyes. She knew he wasn't telling her the complete truth. Just then, Kaira saw her father pull something out of his pocket.__  
__  
"Here, Kaira. This is for you," Rufus said as he handed the box to her._

Rufus sat on the couch next to Cora* while watching Kaira play on the floor before them. They both smiled at her. Rufus couldn't believe how big his daughter had grown over the last couple of years.

"Daddy?" a five-year-old Kaira asked her father.

Rufus looked at Kaira as he answered, "What is it, sweetheart?"

Kaira got up off the floor and walked over to him and Cora. She then climbed up into his lap and smiled slightly.

"Why are you leaving me and mommy?" the five year old asked.

Rufus and Cora just looked at their daughter. They both knew that she was gifted. Rufus let out a long sigh before answering Kaira.

"Well, sweetheart, I have to go because I have to keep our world safe for you and the others," Rufus explained as best as he could.

Rufus knew that Kaira was able to tell that he had lied to her. He then reached into his pocket and pulled a small box out.

Kaira's eyes lit up when she took the box from her father. She slowly opened it and saw a beautiful bracelet. Kaira removed the bracelet from the box so she could get a better look at it. That was when she noticed the writing on it.

"Kaira and Cora, my true heart," Kaira read slowly.

Kaira giggled when Rufus took the bracelet from her and put it on her left wrist. Kaira then hugged her father and slowly fell asleep in his arms. Rufus gently picked his daughter up in his arms and carried her off to her room.

Once he reached Kaira's bedroom, Rufus carefully laid his daughter's sleeping body on the bed and covered her up. He then gently kissed Kaira's forehead and then turned and walked out of the room.

Cora waited patiently by the front door for her husband. She knew that when he left this time that he wasn't coming back. She felt the tears start to fall from her lavender eyes.

Rufus came up behind Cora and wrapped his arms around her. He hated being taken away from his wife and child.

"I know that you don't want me to go, Cora, but you know I have no choice. Take care of Kaira and yourself," Rufus said as he released his crying wife.

Rufus kissed his wife as he picked up his bag. He then opened the door and walked out, never to see his wife and daughter ever again.

~~End Flashback~~

Kaira and Rufus continued to look at each other. Kaira's mind started filling with questions that needed answering. Just then, Kaira walked towards Rufus.

"Dad," she said hesitantly.

Rufus looked up at his daughter. He could see the questions dancing in her mismatched eyes.

"What is it, Kaira?" Rufus asked carefully.

Kaira stopped a couple of feet short of her father. She was trying to figure out the best wording for her question when she just decided to ask it.

"What can you tell me about where I come from?" Kaira asked simply.

Rufus started to laugh. He had heard that she had no memory of where she had come from.

"You were born in Midgar, Kaira," Rufus said. "You have mine and your mother's eyes. You are special in more ways that you know."

As soon as one of her questions were answered, more popped into her head. Kaira had always known that she was special. That would also explain why the other kids ignored and made fun of her as she was growing up.

"Why didn't you come back for mom and me?" Kaira asked skeptically.

Rufus had stopped laughing when he heard Kaira's next question. He didn't know how to explain to her that her grandfather had stopped him from returning to her and Cora.

"It is hard for me to explain right now. But I promise to tell you eventually, my dear," Rufus said apologetically.

Kaira was about to ask her next question when the door burst open. Kaira immediately got to her feet and stood in front of her father in a protective manner. What Kaira saw just about fall back onto her butt.

When Kaira regained her senses, she saw a cute red head standing in the doorway looking right at her. She couldn't believe how cute this man was. She noticed that he had spiky red hair in the front that led to a ponytail in the back. He also had a small red stripe under each eye. Kaira smiled slightly to herself as she continued to look him up and down. Then her cobalt and lavender eyes met his light blue eyes.

The new person just stared intently at Kaira with a trademark smirk, that he always wore, on his face. He then pulled out his favorite rod-type weapon and pointed it right at Kaira.

Rufus smirked to himself as he saw Kaira go on the defensive. He knew how she could get if she was provoked. She was quite the little troublemaker when she was younger. She always got into fights with the other kids. He then turned his gaze towards the man.

"Reno, stand down. Is that any way to act towards my daughter?" Rufus said to the red-haired Turk.

Reno just looked at Rufus with an unbelieving look on his face. He couldn't believe what his boss had just said. He then looked back at Kaira.

"So, what's your name, gorgeous?" Reno asked, smirking once more.

Kaira blushed slightly at being called gorgeous. She had always been shunned by society for the way that she looked and who she was related to.

"The name's Kaira and don't you forget it," Kaira said matter-of-factly.

Rufus just grinned to himself. He could already tell that he was going to have problems with these two.

~~~~~~~~~  
***Cora is Kaira's mother's name…**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Final Fantasy characters. They are the property of Square Soft and Square Enix. I do however own Kaira, any other character I create, and the storyline. Please don't steal this because I have worked very hard on it.**_**~~…~~ denotes flashbacks, dreams, nightmares**_**; **_**'. . .' denotes thoughts**_**; **. . . ** denotes scene changes; * denotes notes at the bottom**

Author notes:

**Chapter 3**

Kaira continued to glare at Reno. She wasn't going to back down from him so easily. She then smiled one of her trademark smiles at Reno and noticed that he faltered somewhat. _'So, he will fall for a cute smile,'_ Kaira thought to herself.

Rufus knew that Reno was a womanizer and that he had to keep Kaira away from him although she was doing a good job at holding her own against him. But he had to think of how he was going to do that. Rufus knew that Reno was toying with Kaira and right now that wasn't the best thing to be doing.

"Kaira, why don't you tell me about what you're doing here?" Rufus said in order to dissipate the tension that was building in the air.

Kaira ignored her father as she continued to look at Reno. There was no way that she was going to back down from him. She smiled one of her cute trademark smiles again and Reno had to look away from her defeatedly. When Kaira saw that Reno had looked away from her, she smiled a true smile and started dancing around.

Reno couldn't believe that he looked away from a woman first during a staring contest. He had never been defeated so easily before in his life except for the cute blonde that he had found in Hojo's lab a couple of years back. She was the only one who could defeat him in a staring contest.

Rufus couldn't believe that he had been ignored, much less by his own daughter. An angry look crossed his normally calm countenance.

"Kaira Ann," Rufus said a little too harsh.

Kaira stopped dancing and looked at her father. She could tell that he was slightly angry at both her and Reno. She could also tell that there was something that he needed to know.

"What is it, dad?" Kaira asked exhaustedly as she looked down at him.

Reno looked back at Kaira and Rufus. He smiled to himself, thinking for once that he wasn't the one in trouble this time.

Before Rufus could answer Kaira, he turned his icy blue orbs on Reno. He had noticed that Reno had backed away from him and Kaira. Rufus then turned his icy glare back to his daughter.

"Now, like I was saying, Kaira. I wanted to know why you are here?" he said to his daughter.

Kaira looked at her father and sighed.

"Cloud had found me in an alley in Midgar a little over a year ago. He brought me here a little over a year ago because of the high fever I had. Him and Tifa couldn't get my fever to break so they did what they thought was best and brought me here," Kaira explained as best as she could.

Rufus had never known that she had gotten that sick. Although, he could tell that she wasn't telling him everything.

"Well, you look fine to me," Reno said from where he stood by the door.

Kaira nearly jumped when she heard Reno's voice. She had totally forgotten about him being there. She then turned and glared at the redhead with sorrowful yet angry eyes.

Reno saw the look in Kaira's eyes. He felt bad for her but he had a job to do first. He then looked back over at Rufus.

"Sir, we're ready to go whenever you are," Reno said to his boss.

Rufus looked up at Reno and nodded. He knew exactly what the redhead was talking about. He just hated leaving after finding his daughter. Rufus then looked at Kaira.

"We will talk when I get back, my dear," Rufus said to her.

Kaira just looked at her father. She didn't want him to leave her now that she had just gotten him back. Kaira was about to say something but she just nodded her head at her father.

"Be safe, Father," Kaira whispered as she walked towards the door.

Reno stopped Kaira as he looked into her eyes and saw the sadness. He knew just by looking at her that she was worried about her father. He then leaned in close to her right ear.

"Don't worry, gorgeous. I will make sure he remains safe," Reno whispered into her ear.

Kaira pulled away slightly as she looked up into Reno's light blue eyes.

"You better or you will have me to deal with," she said with a smile on her face.

Reno saw the fire dance in her eyes. He knew that he had met his match with her. That was when he decided to see if she would go out with him even though she was his boss's daughter.

"So, do you want to go out and have dinner when I get back?" Reno asked the beauty before him.

Rufus glared at the two by the door. He couldn't believe that Reno would ask his daughter out right in front of him. Rufus was about to say something when Kaira beat him to it.

"It will all depend on whether or not you bring my father back in one piece, Reno," Kaira replied to his question.

She then walked by him and out the door. She needed to leave that room because she could feel her father's icy blue eyes on her back. And besides she needed to call and see how Cloud and the others were doing.

Kaira had made her way back to her room. She really did want to call Cloud and tell him that she had found her father. She couldn't keep the smile from forming as she thought about what had happened that morning.

**Meanwhile**

Rufus had looked back at Reno with a scowl that was well hidden by the cloth covering part of his face.

"Reno, it would be in your best interest to leave Kaira alone. She is beyond your understanding," Rufus said as he wheeled out of the room.

"Yes sir," Reno said as he followed Rufus.

Reno smiled to himself as they made their way towards the awaiting helicopter. He noticed that Rude and two other people were waiting for them.

Rufus made his way up to the helicopter as a black haired man walked up to him.

"What is it, Tseng?" Rufus asked the black haired man.

Reno went and stood next to Rude and a blond haired woman. The three of them watched as Rufus and Tseng interacted with each other.

"We think we may have found something in the Northern Cave," Tseng said to Rufus.

Rufus nodded his head as Tseng and Rude helped him into the helicopter while the blond haired woman climbed in with them. Reno climbed into the pilot's seat and started the rotors of the helicopter and lifted off the ground.

"Tseng, I want you and Elena to see if what we are looking for is really in the cave," Rufus said to Tseng and the young woman.

Both Tseng and Elena nodded their heads. They both knew that they had to find what they were ordered to find.

Reno quickly flew them all to the Northern Cave. They were looking for anything that would tell them about Sephiroth. Reno landed inside the crater and let everyone off, including Rufus.

Once everyone was off the helicopter, Reno flew back out of the crater and circled around. He then started to let his thoughts drift back to the last time when he saw Kaira as she walked out of her father's room.

"Oh, I will get Kaira to go out with me no matter what," Reno said to himself.

Just as Reno had said that, he heard his name being called over the radio. He then turned his thoughts back towards the work that he had to do.

Reno flew the helicopter back into the crater to get his boss and coworkers. As he flew back into the crater, Reno could hear gunfire infiltrate his hearing. He was also able to hear Tseng and Elena's voices clear as day call out to him to hurry.

When Reno finally reached the others, he was shocked to only see Rude and Rufus get back into the helicopter.

"Where's Tseng and Elena?" Reno asked worriedly as he flew them out of the cave.

Neither Rude nor Rufus looked at or answered Reno's question. They just wanted to get back to Healin.

**Back with Kaira**

Kaira sat in her room with the phone, that Cloud had bought for her, in her hand. She had just tried calling him but had once again gotten his voice mail.

She threw her phone on the bed as she went over to her window and looked out. She sighed to herself as her eyes roamed over the landscape outside her window. Her mind slowly drifted to Reno and she smiled to herself. She had been able to tell that he liked her. And deep down she knew that she liked him but she wasn't going to let her father know that.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Final Fantasy characters. They are the property of Square Soft and Square Enix. I do however own Kaira, any other character I create, and the storyline. Please don't steal this because I have worked very hard on it.**_**~~…~~ denotes flashbacks, dreams, nightmares**_**; **_**'. . .' denotes thoughts**_**; **. . . ** denotes scene changes; * denotes notes at the bottom**

Author notes:

**Chapter 4**

Reno landed back at Healin. He helped Rude with their boss. The three of them made their way back into the building. Reno leaned against the wall as he looked at Rude and their boss.

"So, what are we going to do about Elena and Tseng?" Reno asked as he looked at the floor.

Rufus didn't look at Reno. He knew that they had to do something to get Elena and Tseng back and hopefully alive.

"There's nothing we can do for them at the moment," Rufus whispered as he looked at both Reno and Rude.

Reno turned away from Rufus and Rude. He didn't want them to see the anger written on his face. He loved Elena as a sister and Tseng like a brother. He would do anything to protect them. Just then, his mind turned to Kaira.

"I'm going for a walk," Reno said as he walked out of the room.

Rufus and Rude just looked at Reno as he left the room. They both knew where he was going.

"Don't you dare go to Kaira's room, Reno," Rufus said sternly.

Reno just scoffed as he continued to walk down the hall. He hated it when Rufus got under his skin. He couldn't do anything since he needed the job with the Turks to pay his bills. He walked until he found himself in front of Kaira's door.

He hesitated in knocking because he was afraid that she wouldn't want to see him. _'Quit being such a wuss, Reno. Just knock on the door,' _he thought to himself as he reached out and knocked on her door.

"Kaira," he called through the door.

**inside the room**

Kaira was so busy looking out the window that she didn't hear the knock on her bedroom door. She then pulled her eyes away from the window and headed over to the door so she could go and get something to eat. She was surprised when she came face to face with Reno.

"Reno!" she said excitedly. "When did you get back?"

Reno smiled when he saw her open the door and almost run into him. He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder to help her regain her stance.

"We just got back a few minutes ago," he said to her.

Kaira continued to smile up at Reno. She was so happy to see him that she dove right into his arms. She hugged him as tight as she could. She didn't want to let him go at the moment.

"Please don't leave me again," she whispered against his chest.

Reno looked down at her with a worried look. He wrapped his arms around her as he pushed her back into her room.

"Kaira, is something wrong?" he asked her as he gently lifted her head up to look at him.

Kaira looked up at Reno with a small smile. She could tell that he really did care for her but she was afraid of what her father would think of them going together.

"My father isn't going to like us being together, Reno. He will find a way to keep us apart," she whispered as she felt Reno walked over to her bed with her in his arms.

Reno sat down on the bed and pulled Kaira into his lap as he continued to hold her tight. He knew that she was right about what her father would do to them.

"I know, Kaira. But I just can't keep you off of my mind since this morning," he whispered in her ear.

Kaira pulled away from Reno's chest and looked up into his eyes. She smiled at him once again. She couldn't believe how much she loved his eyes. She could definitely get lost in them just like she was doing at that moment. She was having a hard time remembering but he sorta reminded her of someone that she had met when she was locked up in Hojo's lab while she was being experimented on.

"And you have been on my mind as well," she said as she got off his lap and stood in front of him. "So how about that dinner you owe me since you brought my dad back in one piece?"

Reno smiled up at Kaira. He soon got to his feet and took her hand in his. He once again pulled her to him and leaned down and kissed her ear.

"I told you I would, Kaira," he whispered in her ear.

Kaira started to feel the heat rise where Reno's lips had touched her neck. She pulled away from him slightly and looked up into his eyes.

"Good. Because I am starving," she said as she pulled him towards the door of her room.

Reno grinned as he let Kaira pull him out of her room. They walked down the hall. Once Reno and Kaira were walking down the hall, Kaira turned and looked up at the man beside her. She couldn't help but smile at him.

"Why are you with me, Reno?" she asked out of the blue.

Reno stopped walking which in turn caused Kaira to stop walking as well. He looked down at her and stared into her bi-colored eyes.

"Why did you ask me that, Kaira?" he asked her.

Kaira looked away from Reno as she tried to gather her thoughts before she answered him. She wasn't expecting him to answer her with a question of his own. When she had her thoughts all in order or so she thought, she looked back up into Reno's sea green eyes.

"It is just that I have been hurt in the past, Reno. No one really knows what I went through after my dad left me and my mother when I was five," she said just above a whisper.

Reno pulled Kaira to him and held her close to his hard body. He felt Kaira go stiff at first and then relax into his embrace.

"Then maybe you can tell me later about what you have been through after your father left you and your mother," he whispered in her ear. "Now let's go and get something to eat before I have to get back to work."

Kaira slowly nodded her head as she let him drag her down the long hall towards the cafeteria. She kept her arms tightly wrapped around his abdomen. She felt so safe that she never wanted to leave his side. But she knew that she would have to sooner or later or her father would do it for her. She then looked up at Reno with sad eyes.

"What would you do if my father separated us?" she asked him out of the blue.

Reno looked down at Kaira with a shocked look on his face. He really didn't want to answer that question but he could see it in her eyes that she really wanted to know the answer to the question she had just asked. Reno sighed slightly as he pulled Kaira over to a bench and sat down with her in his lap.

"I would go crazy, Kaira. I would probably drive everyone, including Rude, up a wall," he said to her as tears started to form in his aquamarine eyes. "I would also make your father tell me where he sent you just so that I could be near you."

Kaira slowly nodded her head as she laid it on Reno's shoulder. At the moment, she was just content being held in his arms. Kaira then moved her head so that she could look up at Reno's face. She quickly picked her head up when she noticed that he had tears in his beautiful eyes.

"What's wrong, Reno?" she asked in a worried tone.

Reno smiled down at Kaira as best as he could. He couldn't tell her what he was literally thinking about doing to her father if he separated them.

"I was just thinking of how beautiful you truly are," he said instead to her.

Kaira blushed slightly at hearing Reno tell her that she was beautiful. She had never been told that before other than when she was younger by her father right before he left them. She smiled as she laid her head back down on his shoulder.

"You truly think that I am beautiful, Reno?" she asked him quietly.

Reno smiled as he tightly held Kaira in his arms. He didn't want to let her go at the moment. She felt so natural in his arms.

"Yes I do," he whispered back to her. "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."

Kaira's blush got even deeper when she heard Reno say that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She cuddled even closer to his chest. She didn't care if her father went by and saw them.

Kaira pulled away from Reno once more. She then got off of his lap and smiled down at him. She really needed to get something to eat before she starved to death.

"Come on. Let's go and get something to eat," she said as she held out her petit hand to him.

Reno looked up at her and smiled as he gently took her small hand in his large one. He finally got to his feet and the two of them walked down the hallway once more towards the cafeteria.

"Then we had better get you something to eat then. I don't need you withering away on me," he said with a small laugh.

Kaira giggled as she leaned into Reno's side as they walked. They were really close to the cafeteria when her stomach growled loudly causing her to blush slightly. Reno looked down at her just as they reached the cafeteria and smiled even more.

"Hungry, are we?" he asked with a small chuckle.

Kaira nodded her head as they both walked into the cafeteria. She kept herself firmly planted to Reno's side. She felt Reno steer her over to where the trays were at. She watched as Reno picked up one tray for the two of them. She then walked with him down the serving line so they both could pick stuff out for them to eat. Once they had their food, Reno paid for it and they both went over to a table and sat down and ate.

Kaira kept her eyes on the food in front of her. She sighed slightly as she picked up her fork and started playing with her food. She picked up piece of chicken on her fork and ate it. She gently chewed the piece of meat as she looked up at Reno and smiled at him.

Reno was able to see that there was something bothering Kaira. He gently reached over and grabbed her hand in his. He then rubbed the back of her small hand with his thumb to try and reassure her that everything would be okay.

"What's bothering you, Kai?" he asked her.

Kaira tried to look away from Reno but she couldn't take her eyes off of him. She sighed slightly as she placed her fork back on the table.

"I just can't get something out of my head," she said quietly.

Reno continued to look at Kaira. He needed to know what she was talking about in order to help her. He then released her hand and lightly touched her cheek.

"Why don't you tell me so that I can help?" he offered.

Kaira smiled once more as she nodded her head. She took a deep breath as she prepared to tell Reno what was bothering her.

"It happened a couple of years ago right before Cloud found me in the alleyway. I was almost raped by someone with deep green eyes," she whispered quietly as she looked back down at her plate. "I am afraid that I am going to be seeing those same eyes here again soon."

Reno just looked at the woman before him. He couldn't believe what she had told him. There was no way that he was going to let anyone take her from him. He then got up and walked over to her and knelt beside her chair. He gently pulled her to him and held her against his chest.

"I will protect you with my life, Kaira," he whispered into her hair. "I will never let anything happen to you again. I have been wanting to protect you from harm ever since I saw you in Hojo's lab when he had you locked up in there."

Kaira pulled away from Reno and looked at him with a shocked look in her eyes. She didn't think that he would remember seeing her when she was locked away by Hojo.

"Really?" she asked him.

Reno nodded his head at her. He had kept it to himself about her being there.

"Dead serious, Kaira. It broke my heart when I saw the condition that you were in back then. It would have killed your father as well if he knew," he said quietly.

Kaira hugged Reno as tight as she could. She was grateful for him not telling her father.

"He is going to need to know sooner or later," she whispered back to him.

"Then we will worry about that when the time comes," Reno said back to her as he got to his feet and pulled her from her chair. "Let's go for a walk before you head off to bed."

Kaira nodded her head as she let Reno lead her out of the building. It had been quite awhile since she had been outside. She laid her head on Reno's shoulder and smiled.

"Thank you, Reno," she said quietly.

"You're welcome, Kai," he said as they both walked away from the main building.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Final Fantasy characters. They are the property of Square Soft and Square Enix. I do however own Kaira, any other character I create, and the storyline. Please don't steal this because I have worked very hard on it.**_**~~…~~ denotes flashbacks, dreams, nightmares**_**; **_**'. . .' denotes thoughts**_**; **. . . ** denotes scene changes; * denotes notes at the bottom**

Author notes:

**Chapter 5 ~ The Truth Comes Out**

Reno had led Kaira back to her room. As they walked, he had become really worried about what she had said. He held Kaira tighter as they continued to walk.

"They're coming," Kaira whispered almost inaudibly.

Reno had to strain real hard in order to hear what Kaira had just said. He stopped walking and made Kaira look up at him.

"Who's coming, Kai?" he asked her worriedly.

Kaira tried to look away from Reno but couldn't. She knew she had tears shining in her mismatched eyes. She reached up and wiped away a couple of stray tears.

"The ones who attacked you guys at the Northern Cave," she said to the man looking down at her.

Reno just stared at Kaira with a confused look on his face. He knew that he didn't tell Kaira about them being attacked earlier that day. He continued to look down at her.

"Kaira, how did you know we were attacked up at the Northern Cave?" he asked her.

Kaira sighed as she finally pulled her eyes away from Reno. She had really gotten herself into a pickle now. She turned her back on Reno and looked up at the ceiling.

"Lucky guess, I suppose," she said back to him as she turned back around to face Reno. "Believe me when I say that they are coming here for Jenova's head."

Reno fell back against the wall when he heard Kaira's words. He quickly regained his composure as he slowly walked over to Kaira.

"Do you know the names of the ones who attacked us at the Northern Cave?" he asked her in a calming tone.

Kaira slowly nodded her head as she answered Reno, "Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo."

Reno reached out and pulled Kaira to him. He held her close to his chest.

"Let's go and tell you father what you just told me," he said to her.

Kaira grinned slightly as she nodded her head. She could tell just by the look in Reno's eyes that she was going to have to explain more in depth about how she knew what had happened up at the Northern Cave.

"That sounds good to me," she said as they started walking towards her father's room. "And I will explain to you later how I knew about what happened at the Northern Cave."

Reno smiled as they continued to walk. He then felt Kaira lean into his left side.

"I will tell my father everything that has happened to me since he left," she whispered quietly.

Reno just held Kaira even closer to his side.

"And I will be there every step of the way," he said back to her as they came to a stop in front of Rufus's room.

"Thank you," Kaira whispered as she reached out and knocked on the door before them. "Dad?"

**inside the room**

Rufus had been discussing some things with Rude when he heard a knock on the door and then Kaira's voice. He looked over at Rude and nodded to the tall man to open the door.

Rude walked over to the door and opened it to see Kaira and Reno standing there. He glared at Reno as he stepped aside so they could enter the room.

Rufus looked up at Reno and Kaira from his wheelchair and sighed. Somehow he knew that Kaira and Reno were together. He shook his head as he looked directly at his daughter as best as he could.

"What brings you here, Kaira?" he asked in a pleasant tone.

Kaira looked away from her father and buried herself further into Reno's side. She could feel her heartbeat quicken as she prepared herself to tell her father what she had told Reno a few minutes earlier in the hallway. Kaira took a deep breath as she looked back down at her father.

"There are some things that you need to know, dad," she whispered as she drew more of her strength from Reno so she could continue. "I know who attacked you and the others at the Northern Cave."

Rufus stared at Kaira for a few minutes before he turned his cold blue gaze towards Reno. He could tell just by the look in Reno's eyes that he didn't tell Kaira about their trip to the Northern Cave.

"And who were we attacked by, Kaira?" he asked her back.

Kaira sighed once more as she replied, "It was Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo who attacked you, dad. They need Jenova's head for something special. And, dad, Kadaj was the one who almost raped me in the alley two years ago."

Rufus and Rude just stared at Kaira and Reno with looks of awe on their faces. Neither of them could believe what Kaira had just told them. Rufus wheeled himself over to Reno and Kaira and looked up at her.

"There's more that you aren't telling me, Kaira. What else are you hiding from me, my dear?" he asked his daughter cautiously.

Kaira then felt Reno gently squeeze her left shoulder to remind her that he was still there for her, Kaira then glanced up at Reno and smiled slightly at him before looking back down at her father. She then let out the breath that she had inadvertently been holding.

"What I was about thirteen or so, a couple of people who worked for Grandfather showed up at the house," she said as she looked down at the floor in order to hide the tears shining in her blue and lavender eyes. "They killed mom in front of me. They then hauled me out of the house and back to the Shinra building where I was handed over to a weird scientist named Hojo."

Rufus could feel his anger start to rise when he heard what had happened to Cora. But he was more interested in who had killed his wife and what Hojo had done to Kaira.

"I know this is going to be hard for you, sweetheart, but I need you to tell me who killed your mother," Rufus whispered quietly.

"It was a woman named Scarlett and a fat man named Heidegger," she said just as quietly as her father.

Rufus finally let his anger completely come out. He couldn't believe that his father would do that to Cora and Kaira. He banged his fists on the arms of his wheelchair, causing Kaira, Reno, and Rude to jump slightly.

Kaira could see and feel her father's rage. She knew that he would get this furious when he heard about her mother. _'If he is this mad about mom's death, then there is no telling how he is going to react when I tell him what Hojo did to me,'_ she thought to herself. Then without anyone knowing, Kaira hid herself behind Reno.

"There's more, dad. I still have to tell you what Hojo did to me," she whispered from behind Reno with her eyes closed.

Reno turned around and looked down at Kaira as did Rufus and Rude. All three men stared at her.

"Then please tell me, Kaira," Rufus spoke calmly to his daughter.

Kaira smiled slightly as she slowly opened her eyes. She then looked up at all three men with slightly glowing eyes.

"You have to promise not to get mad at Reno for any of this, dad," she stated back to Rufus as her eyes glowed even more.

Rufus looked between Reno and Kaira with a slightly confused look on his face. He didn't understand what Reno had to do with all this.

"I promise not to get mad at Reno, Kaira," stated Rufus with a slight nod of his head.

Kaira nodded her head as she slowly backed away from Reno and the others as she began to speak. "I was kept locked up in a special part of Hojo's lab in the Shinra building, away from everyone else while Hojo performed many experiments on me. But don't bother asking what type of experiments because Hojo never told me what he was doing to me. Then one day when I wasn't being experimented on, Reno had found me. I made him promise not to tell you that I was there, dad," Kaira said to her father.

"But why are your eyes glowing like that, Kaira?" Rufus asked as he pointed to his daughter's mismatched glowing eyes as he let what she had just told him sink into his brain.

Kaira let the smile fall from her face. She looked down at the ground as she tried to remember what Hojo had injected her with in order to make her eyes glow.

"I don't remember why," she said as she looked back up at her father.

Reno reached out and pulled Kaira into his chest as he looked at Rufus. He could see the mixture of anger and worry in his boss's eyes.

"Hojo injected her with a combination of Mako energy and Jenova cells," Reno said as he held Kaira even tighter. "It was more than he normally injected into someone that he would experiment on."

Rufus just looked at Reno with an awestruck look on his face. Once again he couldn't believe what was done to Kaira. He slowly wheeled his way over to Kaira and Reno. Once he was close enough to Kaira, Rufus reached out with his right hand and took Kaira's left hand in his own.

"I am sorry you had to endure all that alone, my dear," he said in a comforting tone.

Kaira looked up at her father as her eyes stopped glowing. The tears that she had been trying so hard to keep from falling, started to fall freely down her cheeks.

"It's not your fault, daddy," she said in a childlike tone as she launched herself at her father.

Rufus caught Kaira in his arms and held her tightly. It had been so long since he had held his daughter in his arms. He then looked up at Reno.

"I don't blame you for not telling me that Kaira was being held by Hojo all those years ago, Reno," Rufus said quietly as he heard a quiet snore come from Kaira. "Take her back to her room, Reno."

Reno nodded his head as he picked Kaira up in his arms. He then turned and started walking out of the room but stopped at the door.

"I'll stay with her," he said back to Rufus.

Rufus smiled even more at Reno's back. He could tell that Reno meant what he said about staying with Kaira.

"Protect my daughter well, Reno," he said to the man holding his daughter.

"Don't worry, sir. I will protect Kai with my life," Reno said as he left the room and headed towards Kaira's room. As he walked down the hall, Reno felt Kaira shift in his arms as she cuddled closer to his chest.

"Don't ever leave me, Reno," Kaira mumbled in her sleep.

Reno smiled down at the girl in his arms. He would never leave Kaira alone again. When he reached Kaira's room, he gently pushed her door open with his left shoulder and walked into the room. Once he was in the room, Reno kicked the door shut and it closed with a quiet thud.

Reno then walked over to Kaira's bed. As he went to lay Kaira down, Reno felt her grip tighten on his white shirt.

"Okay, Kai. I'll hold you while you sleep," he whispered in her ear.

Reno laid down on Kaira's bed with his back up against the headboard. He then felt Kaira shift into a better position against his chest. He wrapped his arms tightly around Kaira as he watched her sleep.

"Get Cloud's help," Kaira whispered as she fell into a deeper sleep.

"We will," Reno whispered back to her as he too fell into a deep sleep.

Kaira smiled in her sleep even more. "I love you, Reno," she whispered in an inaudible tone.

Reno's only response to Kaira's words was that he held her even tighter, He slowly let his mind slip into dreams of being with Kaira forever.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Final Fantasy characters. They are the property of Square Soft and Square Enix. I do however own Kaira, any other character I create, and the storyline. Please don't steal this because I have worked very hard on it.**_**~~…~~ denotes flashbacks, dreams, nightmares**_**; **_**'. . .' denotes thoughts**_**; **. . . ** denotes scene changes; * denotes notes at the bottom**

Author notes:

**Chapter 6**

**the next morning**

Rufus had made his way to his daughter's room. He really didn't sleep very well after hearing what had happened to Kaira when she was younger. When he reached the closed door to Kaira's room, Rufus just stared at the door for a few minutes. He then hesitated on knocking on the door. But he very carefully reached out and knocked on the closed door. Rufus wasn't the least bit surprised when he didn't get an answer at first.

"Reno. Kaira," he called through the closed door.

**inside the room**

Reno shifted on the bed as he pulled Kaira closer to him. He didn't want to wake up at that moment in time. He was very content just laying there holding the one person that meant the world to him.

Reno growled under his breath when he heard someone knocking on the closed door. He didn't make any move to answer the door. He hoped that whoever it was would just go away. He didn't get his wish when he heard the all too familiar sound of his boss's voice.

Reno released Kaira's sleeping form and got off the bed. He then walked over to the door and slowly opened it. He looked down at the wheelchair-bound Rufus and tried to smile.

"Good morning, sir," Reno said while trying to hide a yawn.

Rufus looked up at the one who had promised to protect his one and only daughter. He could tell that Reno was still tired.

"How is she doing, Reno?" he asked worriedly as he looked past Reno towards Kaira.

Reno looked over his shoulder at Kaira. He smiled softly as he remembered what she had said about getting Cloud's help. He then saw Kaira change positions on the bed. He smiled even more when he realized that she was awake and listening to their conversation. Reno then looked back at Rufus.

"She had mentioned something about us getting Cloud's help with all this," Reno said to his boss. "Isn't that right, Kaira?"

Kaira nearly fell off the bed when she heard Reno's question. She carefully rolled over and looked at both Reno and her father. She gave them a small smile.

"That's right," she said with a slight nod.

Rufus wheeled past Reno and over to the bed. He smiled at Kaira.

"So, sweetheart, what is Cloud's phone number?" he asked her.

"It's 555-5689," Kaira whispered quietly. "That is the number to his delivery service."

Rufus nodded his head as he continued to look at Kaira with a troubled look. He had noticed that she had beads of sweat forming on her forehead. He could also tell that she was shaking slightly.

"Are you okay, Kaira?" he asked her worriedly.

Kaira looked up at both Reno and her father with a weak smile. She slowly got off the bed but fell to the floor and landed on her knees instead.

"It's come back," she barely got out as a really bad coughing fit hit her sick body.

Reno was immediately at Kaira's side. He pulled her to him and nearly dropped her in the process because she was so hot. He then looked back up at Rufus.

"She's burning up, sir," Reno said near tears. He gently and very carefully picked Kaira up off the floor. Reno then sat on the bed as he cradled Kaira in his arms. He then looked back at Rufus. "What is wrong with her?" he asked worriedly.

"Her sickness has come back," Rufus said quietly.

Rufus just looked at his daughter in Reno's arms. He couldn't believe how sick she was all of a sudden. He wasn't about to lose her now that he had Kaira back in his life.

"Go make the call to Cloud, Reno. I will stay here with Kaira," Rufus said quietly.

Reno looked down at the sickly girl in his arms. He stood up and turned towards the bed. He went to lay Kaira down on the bed but stopped. He then turned and headed towards the door.

"I'll take Kai with me," he said as he walked out of the room.

Rufus smiled to himself as he followed Reno out of the room. He was able to see the protectiveness in Reno's eyes. He quickly caught up to Reno.

"Just don't forget to call Cloud at the number Kaira gave us," he said as he wheeled past Reno.

Reno nodded his head as he walked back to his room. He knew that he had to call Cloud. He then decided to take Kaira to the common area instead. Once in the common area, Reno walked over to the small couch and sat down with Kaira in his lap. He smiled as he felt her get as close to his chest as she possibly could. When Kaira had finally settled down, Reno pulled out his phone and dialed the number that Kaira had given them.

Reno was surprised when he heard Tifa's voice on the other end. He then proceeded to tell Tifa that Rufus needed to see Cloud. When he was done talking, he hung up the phone and looked back down at Kaira. Reno set his phone on the table beside the couch. He then started to gently run his hand through Kaira's hair.

"I should have stopped Hojo," he whispered in her ear. "This is all my fault."

Kaira slowly opened her mismatched eyes and looked up at Reno. She let a small smile play across her blanched lips. She weakly brought a hand up to Reno's cheek and gently ran her nimble fingers across it.

"There was nothing you could have done, Reno. Even if you would have gotten me away from Hojo, he would have killed you and taken me back," Kaira said just above a weak whisper.

Reno looked down at Kaira and smiled as best as he could. He once again gently ran his hand through her hair. He then leaned against the back of the couch as he held Kaira as tight as he could without squeezing her.

"I promise to never let anything happen to you again," he whispered in her ear.

Kaira smiled as she buried her sweat-trodden face into Reno's shoulder. She knew what he said was true. She cuddled as close to Reno as she possibly could. She never wanted to leave his arms again. Kaira had drifted off to sleep in Reno's arms.

"Thank you, Reno," she whispered in her sleep.

Reno smiled down at the girl in his arms. He couldn't believe that he was getting away with dating his boss's daughter. He just sat there and held Kaira close to him while they waited for Cloud to show up.

Just as Reno and Kaira were relaxing in the common area, his phone rang. He quickly answered it in hopes that it was Cloud calling to say that he was on his way but it wasn't. He nearly dropped Kaira when he heard the unknown voice on the other end. Rufus and Rude came into the common area at that moment. Reno looked over at them just as he was told to put the president on. He then set Kaira on the couch beside him and walked over to Rufus and handed the phone to him and then went back to the couch where Kaira was at just as she woke up. He pulled her back into his lap as she looked up at him.

"Who's dad talking to?" she asked him in a weak tone.

"The one who almost raped you a couple of years ago," he whispered in her ear.

Kaira pulled back from Reno and stared into his eyes as she felt the tears well up in hers. She quickly buried her face in Reno's shirt and cried to the point of crying herself to sleep as she whispered, "Kadaj."

When Rufus was done talking on the phone, he handed it back to Reno. Reno quickly dialed the number for Cloud's delivery service once more. Once again he heard Tifa's voice on the other end. He then told her to have Cloud come by Healin as soon as he could. When he was done talking to Tifa, he hung his phone up once again and looked back down at Kaira still asleep in his arms. Rufus and Rude left Kaira and Reno alone until Cloud could get there.

Reno smiled even more as he felt Kaira shift into a better position against his chest. Once Kaira had stopped moving, he tightened his grip on her so that she wouldn't fall off his lap. He then laid his head back against the couch and closed his eyes so that he could get a little bit of sleep before Cloud showed up.

"He's coming back," she whispered quietly in her sleep so that Reno couldn't hear her. "Big brother is coming back for us all."


End file.
